Friday 14 December 2012

Live Fence / Bio Fence / Natural Fence - A General List of Plants

As part of our Agriculture for Everybody blog series, we are going to see the General List of Plants used in Live / Bio Fence / Natural Fence as well as few Windbreakers.


The following list of plants can be utilized for Live / Bio Fence / Natural Fence and some of the large trees can be used as Windbreakers and it will better if the farmer goes for locally available material so as to reduce the expenses.  The below list will be updated as and when there are more data available.


S.No.Botanical NameCommon NameTamil NameHabitConditionRole
1Acacia caesia (L.) Willd.Climbing prickly shrubDriedMechanical barrier
2Acacia chundra Willd.Small treeDried / LiveMechanical barrier
2aAcacia ConcinnaShikakai, Soap-podClimbing prickly shrubLiveMechanical barrier
2aaAcacia Mellifera---LiveMechanical barrier
2bAcacia nilotica subsp. indica Gum Arabic, BaboolகறுவேளைLiveMechanical barrier
2cAcacia nilotica ssp. TomentosaTomentose BaboolகறுவேளைLiveMechanical barrier
3Acacia sinuata (Lour.) Merr.Prickly climbing shrubDriedMechanical barrier
4Acacia torta (Roxb.) Craib.Prickly climbing shrubDriedMechanical barrier
4aAcalypha lanceolataIndian Copperleaf, Indian acalyphaகுப்பைமேனிLiveMechanical barrier
5Adhatoda zeylanica Medikus.Large shrubLivePlanted on the boundary
6Agave americana L.Century Plantயானைக் கற்றாழைStout shrubLiveMechanical barrier
7Agave sisalana Perr.ex Engelm.Stout shrubLiveMechanical barrier
8Alangium salvifolium (L.f.) Wangerin ssp. hexapetalum (Lamk.) WangerinLarge straggling shrubDried / LiveMechanical barrier
8aAloe VeraAloe Veraகற்றாழைLiveMechanical barrier
8bAsparagus officinalisAsparagAsparagus, Garden asparagusus, Garden asparagusLiveMechanical barrier
9Bambusa arundinacea (Retz.) Roxb.Large thorny bambooDried / LiveWind breaker
9aBambusa bambosIndian Thorny Bambooபெருமூங்கில்Large thorny bambooDried / LiveWind breaker
10Barleria prionites L.Spinous under shrubLivePrevents entry
10aBerberis aristataIndian Barberryகஸ்தூரி மஞ்சள்Spiny shrubLivePrevents entry
11Bobax ceiba L.Large treeLiveGrown on boundaries
12Borassus flabellifer L.Tall palmDried leafMechanical barrier
13Bougainvillea x buttiana Holttum & StandeySpinous climberDried/liveMechanical barrier
14Bougainvillea glabra Choisy.Spinous climberDried/liveMechanical barrier
15Caesalpinia bonduc (L.) Roxb.Scandent prickly shrubDriedMechanical barrier
16Caesalpinia mimosoides Lam.Prickly scandent shrubDriedMechanical barrier
16aCaesalpinia pulcherrimaPeacock FlowerLiveMechanical barrier
16bCaesalpinia sappanSappan WoodSmall thorny treeLiveMechanical barrier
17Canthium coromandelicum (Burm.f.) AlstonStout spinous shrubDriedMechanical barrier
18Canthium rheedii DC.Scandent spinous shrubDriedMechanical barrier
19Carissa carandas L.KarandaகளாLarge armed shrubDriedMechanical barrier
20Carissa congesta Wight.Large armed shrubDriedMechanical barrier
21Caryota urens L.Tall palmDried leafMechanical barrier
22Casuarina equisetifolia L.Large treeLiveWind breaker
23Catunaregam spinosa (Thunb.) Tirveng.Large armed shrubDriedMechanical barrier
24Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn.Large treeLivePlanted on boundaries
25Cereus peruvianus (L.) Mill.Arborescent cactusLivePrevents entry
25aChrysopogon zizanioidesவெட்டிவேர்Tall GrassLiveSoil Erosion
25bCitrus limonLemon, Nimbuஎலுமிச்சைThorny TreeLiveMechanical barrier
25cClerodendrum inermeWild JasmineLarge straggling shrubLiveMechanical barrier
25dCommiphora berryiIndian Balm or GileadMul - கிளுவைLiveMechanical barrier
26Cordia cylindristachya Roemer & Schultes.ShrubLivePlanted on boundary
27Corypha umbraculifera L.Tall palmDried leafMechanical barrier
27aCylindropuntia RamosissimaDiamond Cholla, Branched Pencil ChollaSuramulCactusLivePlanted on boundary
27bDatura stramoniumJimsonweed, ThornappleBushy PlantLivePrevents entry
27cDendrocalamus strictusCalcutta Bambooசிறுமூங்கில்Small bambooLiveWind breaker
27dDodonaea viscosaHop Bush, HopseedSmall shrubLiveMechanical barrier
28Duranta erecta L.Erect or straggling shrubLivePlanted on boundary
29Erythrina variegataL. var. orientalis (L.) Merr.Large armed treeLivePlanted on boundary
30Euphorbia antiquorum L.Fleshy spinous shrubLivePrevents entry
31Euphorbia neriifolia L.Fleshy spinous shrubLivePrevents entry
32Euphorbia nivulia Buch.-Ham.Fleshy spinous shrubLivePrevents entry
33Euphorbia tirucalli L.Fleshy shrubLivePlanted on boundary
33aFicus benjaminaWeeping Figவெள்ளால்Large TreeLiveMechanical barrier
34Furcraea foetida (L.)Haw.Stout shrubLivePlanted on boundary
35Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.)Walp.Gliricidia, Mexican lilacசீமை அகத்திSmall treeLivePlanted on boundary
35aGrevillea robustaSilver oakLarge treeLiveMechanical barrier
36Hibiscus rosa sinensis L.Large shrubLivePlanted on boundary
37Hibiscus schizopetalus(Mast.) Hook.f.Large shrubLivePlanted on boundary
38Hopea ponga (Dennst.) MabberlyLarge treeLivePlanted on boundary
39Jatropha curcas L.Large shrubLivePlanted on boundary
40Jatropha gossypifolia L.Small shrubLivePlanted on boundary
41Justicia betonica L.Scandent shrubLivePlanted on boundary
42Justicia gendarussa Burm.f.Under shrubLivePlanted on boundary
43Lantana camara L.Lantanaஉன்னிச்செடிRambling shrubDried/LiveMechanical barrier
43aLawsonia inermisHenna, MehendiமருதாணிSmall shrubLiveMechanical barrier
44Leea indica (Burm.f.) Merr.Large shrubLivePlanted on boundary
44aLeucaena leucocephalaSubabulSmall treeLiveMechanical barrier
44bMorinda pubescensIndian MulberrySmall shrubLivePrevents entry
45Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC.Twining herbLivePrevents entry
46Naringi crenulata(Roxb.) NicolsonSpinous treeDriedMechanical barrier
46aNerium oleanderOleanderஅரளி (Arali)Small shrubLiveMechanical barrier
47Ochlandra scriptoria (Dennst.) C.FischerShrubby bambooLive/DriedMechanical barrier
48Ochlandra travancorica Benth.ex.GambleShrubby bambooLive/DriedMechanical barrier
49Opuntia stricta (Haw.)Haw. var. dillenii (Ker-Gawler)L. BensonFlat shrubLivePrevents entry
50Pandanus fascicularis Lam.Large shrubLivePrevents entry
51Pandanus kaida Kurz.Large shrubLivePrevents entry
52Pandanus unipapillatus Denst.Large shrubLivePrevents entry
53Pedilanthus tithymaloides (L.) Poit.Succulent herbLivePrevents entry
54Petalidium barlerioides(Roth.) Nees.Large shrubLivePlanted on boundary
55Phyllanthus myrtifoliusUnder shrubLivePlanted on boundary
55aPithecellobium dulceManilla Tamarindகொடுக்காப்புளிLarge treeLiveMechanical barrier
56Plumeria rubra L.Small treeLivePlanted on boundary
56AProsopis cineraria‎Khejri TreeParambaiSmall treeLivePlanted on boundary
57Pseudoxytenanthera stocksii (Munro.) NaithaniSlender bambooLivePlanted on boundary
57aPterospermum acerifoliumMaple-leaved Bayur treeவெண்ணங்குLarge treeLiveMechanical barrier
57bRicinus communisCastor bean, Castor oil plantஆமணக்கு, விளக்கெண்ணைLiveMechanical barrier
57cRobinia pseudoacaciaWhite Locust TreeLiveMechanical barrier
57dRubus niveusMysore RaspberrySmall shrubLiveMechanical barrier
57eSaraca asocaSita Ashok, Sorrowless treeஅசோகம்LiveMechanical barrier
58Scleropyrum pentandrum (Dennst.) MabberleySmall armed treeDried / LiveMechanical barrier
59Securinega leucopyrus (Willd.) Muell.-Arg.Straggling shrubDriedMechanical barrier
59aSenna auriculataTanner's CassiaSmall shrubLiveMechanical barrier
59bSesbania grandifloraAgatiLiveMechanical barrier
59cSesbania sesbanEgyptian Pea, Common sesbanLiveMechanical barrier
60Terminalia travancorensis Wight &Arn.Large treeLivePlanted on boundary
60aThevetia peruvianaMexican oleander, Yellow OleanderLarge shrubLiveMechanical barrier
61Thunbergia erecta (Benth.) T.Anders.Erect shrubLivePlanted on boundary
61aVernonia elaeagnifoliaCurtain creeper, Vernonia creeperLiveMechanical barrier
62Vitex negundo L.Large shrubLivePlanted on boundary
63Vitex trifolia L.Stout shrubLivePlanted on boundary
64Ziziphus glaberrima (Sedgw.) Sant.Small treeDriedMechanical barrier
65Ziziphus mauritiana Lam.Small tree with drooping branchesDriedMechanical barrier
66Ziziphus oenoplia Mill.Scandent shrubDriedMechanical barrier
67Ziziphus rugosa Lam.Scrambling shrubDriedMechanical barrier





The following equivalent is not yet found.
S.No.Common NameTamil Name
1 Cactus Kalli
2 Square cactus Caturakakalli

Wednesday 5 December 2012

Live / Natural Fence - Important Considerations

In our Agriculture for Everybody blog series, we are going to understand the important considerations of Live / Natural Fence.


Assuming you have opted for Live / Natural Fence, the following need to be kept in mind so as to get the maximum benefit out of Live / Natural Fences.

  • Bees - We need to have Bees for pollination and hence we need to attract the Bees to our farm.  For this, we need to have flowering plants all through the season and if we plant the flowering plants in our fences, it serves both as food for Bees and also look pleasing to the eyes and enhances the aesthetics of the farm.

  • Birds - We need to have Birds for limiting/removing the worms in our farm and also the excreta dropped by them acts as a good manure and enriches the soil.  For this, we need to have Singapore Cherry and other fruit trees in our fences that birds eat and survive.  Birds build their nest generally in a multi-branch tree or shrub and hence it is important to have those plants and shrubs in our fences. 
  • The following list of trees can be grown in your fence for attracting birds, bees etc:-
    • Agasta or Agathi (Sesbania grandiflora)
    • Alangium or Alangi (Alangium salvifolium)
    • Bauhinia Tree
    • Curry leaf tree or Karuvepillai (Murraya Koenigii)
    • Erythrina Tree (Mul Murungai)
    • Fig or Athi (Ficus racemosa)
    • Guava or Goyya (Psidium guajava)
    • Hibiscus
    • Indian Coral Tree or Kalyana Murungai (Erythrina indica)
    • Ixora (Idly Poo)
    • Mast tree or Nettilingam (Polyalthia longifolia)
    • Mahua or Iluppai (Madhuca indica)
    • Mavalingam Tree
    • Mulberry or Kambli (Morus alba)
    • Murraya Shrub
    • Singapore Cherry or Nei Pazhamaram (Prunus salicifolia)
    • Sapota (Achras zapota)
    • For a general list of fruit trees, check this link http://ramyanursery.in/tablefruitplants.html

  • Owls - Owls generaly live in dead trees and hence we should not cut down dead trees.  Rather we should allow the Owls to take shelter in them as they are good at limiting the rate menace.

  • Bats - We need to have plants (to be updated later) in our fences so that the Bats can take shelter in them and their droppings are very good for our soil and also they good at limiting the rat menace.

  • Others - Rat Snakes, Foxes, Spiders and other animals may take refugee in our fences.  We should welcome them rather than being afraid of them.  These animals eat rats, insects and hence limit the damage to our crops.

  • Water - Water is required for all the bees, birds and other animals.  We need to have multiple water points near our fences so that they can quench their thirst.  This water needs to be made freshly available every couple of days.

  • Once the fences have grown completely and has become mini-forests, human interference or our own cattle should not go near the fences as it will disturb the wild birds, reptiles etc.